The present disclosure relates to devices, a method and a system, which can be or are employed for lysing by means of ultrasound.
Lysis is well known as a method for dissolving cell membranes and hence for bringing about the breakdown of cells. Various methods can be employed for lysing, these also including lysing by means of transmission/application of the energy onto the sample or the lysate; this is well known. In the following text, the present disclosure will be explained in respect of the transmission by means of ultrasound. However, it should be noted in this context that the use of ultrasound as a type of energy is merely exemplary and that the present disclosure is not restricted thereto. That is to say it is also possible to employ other suitable energy transmissions, for example magnetic actuators.
By applying ultrasound onto a (sample or lysis) liquid with the cells to be dissolved, the cells are destroyed by shearing forces, which act on the cell membranes and/or the cell walls. An energy (ultrasound) transmitting element is usually immersed into the sample and irradiated by ultrasound. Coupling energy into the sample using the energy-transmitting element leads to cavitation and/or to the generation of shear forces in the sample, which then in the sample lead to the destruction or breakdown of the cells or the resistive cell membranes thereof.
The known methods for lysing by means of ultrasound however have a multiplicity of disadvantages. Contaminants can be introduced into the sample when immersing the energy-transmitting element. This is particularly the case if the energy-transmitting element is used a number of times and has to be cleaned after each lysis procedure. On the one hand, a sample can be contaminated by components of a previous sample. Furthermore, contamination by cleaning agents cannot be excluded. Furthermore, there is great manual outlay for preparing the lysis procedure in the case of each additional lysis. The outlay and the time requirements restrict the potential throughput of samples.
Some known methods attempt to rectify the aforementioned disadvantages by virtue of the lysis taking place in an ultrasonic bath. To this end, the sample to be lysed is held in a container which is immersed into a liquid of a bath irradiated by sound. This liquid irradiated by sound is also referred to as an ultrasonic bath. In the ultrasonic bath, the sample to be subjected to lysis is generally exposed to a constant ultrasonic field for a specific period of time. However, the energy transmission through the ultrasonic bath is significantly weaker. A further disadvantage lies in taking care of the liquid of the ultrasonic bath, since it can be contaminated by germs and/or algae. Furthermore, the liquid of the ultrasonic bath remains adhering to the container with the lysed sample and can lead to contaminants from the ultrasonic bath liquid and/or have an adverse effect on the ability to automate the whole process. Furthermore, lysis by means of an ultrasonic bath can have deficiencies in respect of an accurate reproducibility, since the reproducibility depends strongly on the position of the container with the sample to be lysed in the ultrasonic bath, with, additionally, the arrangement of the transducers around the ultrasonic pool also having to be maintained precisely in the case of repeated lysis. Furthermore, the distribution of the ultrasound is inhomogeneous in the ultrasonic bath. As a result, it is not possible to optimally meter the energy influx needed to lyse the cells (determined by the minimum energy) and to keep the components released during the lysis intact (determined by the maximum energy).
Hence there still is the need for lysis methods and lysis devices, by means of which the aforementioned disadvantages can be rectified.